Tandem axle semi-trailer convertible to single axle semi-trailers and vice versa



Oct. 17, 1961 f'l A jy E20 @if U.L si Ud@ C. l. BOHLEN ETAL AXLE SEMI-TRAILERS AND VICE VERSA TANDEM AXLE SEMI-TRAILER CONVERTIBLE To SINGLE Filed May 18, 1959 5 Sheets-Sheet 1 INVENTORS.

Oct. 17, 1961 c l. BOHLEN E'rAL 3,004,772

TANDEM AXLE SEMI-TRAILER CONVERTIBLE TO SINGLE AXLE SEMI-TRAILERS AND VICE VERSA Oct. 17, 1961 c. l. BoHLEN ETAL 3,004,772

TANDEM AxLE SEMI-TEAILEE CONVERTIBLE To smGLE AxLE sEM1TEAILERs AND VICE VERSA Filed May 18, 1959 5 Sheets-Sheet 3 /o/ ff Oct. 17, 1961 TANDEM AXLE SEMI-TRAILER CONVERTIBLE To SINGLE Filed May 18. 1959 c. BoHLEN ETAL 3,004,772

AXLE SEMI-TRAILERS AND VICE VERSA 5 Sheets-'Sheet 4- 770/?/VEY Oct. 17, 1961 c. l. BOHLEN ETAL v3,004,772

yTANEEM AXLE SEMI-TRAILER CONVERTIBLE To SINGLE AXLE SEMI-TRAILERS AND VICE VERSA `Filed'May 18. 1959 5 Sheets-Sheet 5 INVENTORS. CHA/FMS Boh/EN (HA/@zii Ima/falen wif/24190 BY ffraeJDa/PAZ/o MQW TANDEM AXLE SEMI-TRAILER CONVERTIBLE "Ig IJGLE AXLE SEMI-TRAILERS AND VICE Charles I. Bohlen, Doylestown, Charles Bradford Sheppard, llIeadoWbrook, and Peter I. Drazio, Southampton, Pa., assignors to Strick Trailers, a Division of Frnehanf rtrailer Co., Philadelphia, Pa., a corporation of Michigan Filed May 18, 1959, Ser. No. 313,856 8 Claims. (Cl. 28d-AIS) This invention relates to an over-the-road semi-trailer and has for its primary object to provide a structurally sound multi-body tandem axle vehicle which is readily Y convertible to individual single axle vehicles.

Another object of the invention is to provide two or more van size cargo bodies which are frameless and separably but rigidly coupled horizontally to produce a unitary structure in which tension, compression, vertical and lateral shear forces are transmitted from body to body so that the connected bodies can be supported by removable and/ or shiftable wheel bogies and drawn by a tractor without the need for running gear which will contribute to the strength and'weight of the connected bodies. Thus the vehicle with ,the connected bodies can serve as a single large semi-trailer having desirable weight requirements `and at the same time, by a relatively simple procedure, the vehicle can readily be converted to individual single body, single axle semi-trailers when necessary or desired.

Another object of the invention is to provide horizontally coupled separable van size frameless cargo bodies, to the rearmost body of which is removably coupled a pair of single axle bogies, one of which may be uncoupled and moved to the forward body and there coupled so that the bodies when separated become individual single axle trailers.

Another object of the invention is to provide a vehicle of the character described wherein the conversion of the same from one tandem axle trailer to several individual single axle trailers and vice versa can be elfected with relative ease and speed.

These and other objects of the invention will become more apparent as the following description proceeds in conjunction with the accompanying drawings, wherein:

FIGURES lare diagrammatic side elevational views illustrating the manner of converting two single axle van size cargo bodies to a tandem axle semi-trailer;

FIGURE 6 is a diagrammatic side elevational View of a modified form of tandem axle semi-trailer;

FIGURE 7 is a side elevation of horizont-ally coupled bodies;

FIGURE S is a bottom plan view of the coupled bodies with the landing gear and king pin of the rearmost body shown retracted to allow for bogie passage;

FIGURE 9 is an enlarged sectional View taken on the line 9-9 of FIGURE 7;

FIGURE 10 is an enlarged sectional view taken on the line lil-10 of FIGURE 7;

FIGURE 11 is an enlarged sectional view taken on the line `11--11 of FIGURE 7 and showing the couplers locked;

FIGURE l2 is a view similar to FIGURE 1.1 showing lthe coupler extended but not locked;

DM'ZZ Patented Oct. 17, i951 FIGURE 17 is an enlarged sectional view taken on the line 17-17 of FIGURE 7;

FIGURE 18 is a sectional View taken on the line I8- 18 of FIGURE 17;

FIGURE 19 is an enlarged sectional view taken on the line I9--19 of FIGURE 18; and

FIGURE 2O is a fragmentary enlarged perspective view of the body track angle.

Specific reference is now made to the drawings wherein similar reference characters are used for corresponding elements throughout.

The bodies referred to herein are van size cargo containers which, by accepted definition in the trade, have an area greater than 64 sq. ft. and a height of generally 8 ft. Each body 1.0, which is preferably rectangular, comprises side walls l2, an upper wall or roof 14, a bottom wall 16, a front wall IS and a rear wall 20. The walls are preferably made of sheet metal and the body has no frame. Welded or otherwise secured to the bottom wall and extending longitudinally of the body at the side edges are tracks 22, preferably in the form of angle irons having depending flanges 24 with longitudinally spaced apertures 26 therethrough.

In the preferred form `of the invention each body is provided with a retractable landing gear and king pin although it should be understood that the invention can be carried out with other equivalent devices separable or separate from the bodies but serving the same function. The landing gear 28 is conventional and is pivoted as at Sti to depending ribs 32 carried by the bottom wall of the body. In the retracted or inoperative position the landing gear is folded against the bottom wall, as shown on the right side of FIGURE 8, and occupies the recess or space between the ribs 32 and the bottom wall. The same is true of the king pin 34 which is also pivoted as at 36 to the ribs 32 and retractable into the recess formed by said ribs and the bottom wall, both the landing gear and king pin being associated with the body adjacent its front end.

Coming now to the bogies 3S, each includes a relatively small rectangular frame having transverse members 40 interconnected at their ends by longitudinal, preferably hollow box-like members 42. The frame supports, in an appropriate and conventional manner, a single axle 44 mounting tired wheels 46.

Each bogie can be removably or detachably coupled to each body by any suitable means. One of such means is shown more particularly in FIGURES 17-19 and c011- sists simply of a longitudinal shaft 48 rotatably mounted centrally of the bogie frame with a suitable handle 50 at one end thereof. Bell cranks S2 are secured to the shaft to which are terminally pivoted transversely extending links 54 which are in turn operatively connected to spring urged coupling pins 56. The longitudinal box-like members 42 of the bogie frame engage the tracks 22 which guide the longitudinal movement `of the bogie to any desired position where the apertures S8 in the members 42 align with the track apertures 26 transversely of the body 10. At this position, the springs 60 urge the pins 56 through the track apertures 26, as shown in FIGURE 19, thereby coupling the bogie directly to the body at a desired position. Rotation of the handle 50 in a given direction will retract the coupling pins land allow the bogie to be slid longitudinally of the body with the tracks 22 serving as guides or to be removed entirely from beneath the body. Any suitable safety lock (not shown) may be associated with the coupler.

The frameless bodies are coupled horizontally by a means, the combined effect of which is to transmit tension, compression, vertical `and horizontal shear forces from container to container so that when mounted as such on the bogies and drawn by a tractor 62 no heavy normally urging the lug 114 against the wall panel. effect coupling between the upper corner members 94 and 96, the rod 1112 is raised 'by the handle 110 until the legs of the yoke 106 engage in the corner mem-ber underframes or other supports are required. A number of such means may be employed.

The means separably coupling the lower corners of the rear Wall 20 of the forward body to the front wall 18 of the rear body must transmit tension, horizontal and vertical shear forces from container to container. One such means 6d is shown in FIGURES 1l-l3 although other equivalent means may be used. This comprises a member 65 operatively connected to the rear wall 20 of one body adjacent the lower corner thereof in which is slidably mounted a horizontally extending latch bar 66 having a hook 68 at its outer end adapted to enter an open socket 70 in a member 71 operatively connected to the front wall 13 of the second body adjacent the lower corner thereof. The latch bar 66 includes an aperture 72 therethrough adjacent its inner end and a notch 73 adjacent its hooked end.

Slidably mounted in the member 65 is a plunger 74 normal to the latch bar ewhich is urged by a spring 76 towards the latch bar, there being a handle 78 for operation of said plunger. Slidably mounted in the member V'71 is a keeper bar Sil normal to the latch ybar and urged thereagainst by a spring S2, the keper bar pivotally mounting a handle 84 equipped with a locking cam 36. In operation, when the walls 26 and `12S are adjacent each other and the bodies are in substantial horizontal alignment, the plunger '74 is retracted by the handle '7S and the latch bar is slid into the socket 70, in the position shown'in FIGURE l2 with the hand-le 34 of the keeper bar 80 in the non-camming position, whereupon the keeper bar 8d is urged into positive engagement with the hook 68. Rotation of the handle S4 to the position shown in FIGURE 1l will cam the keeper bar 80 and positively' lock the same in the notch 38 of the hook end of the latch bar. In this position, the plunger 74 will also extend through the aperture 72 in the latch bar and will, at its free end, engage in a notch 90 in the corner member 65. To uncouple the bodies, the handle 84-is moved to its non-camming position, as shown in FIG- URE 12, and the latch rbar 66 is retracted while the plunger 72 is also retracted, until the hook end 63 of the -latch bar is free of the corner member 71 and attains a position where the plunger 74 is urged into engagement with the notch 73 to releasably retain the latch bar in its retracted position as shown in FIGURE 13.

The means horizontally coupling the rear wall 20 of Vthe forward body to the front wall 18 of the rear body adjacent their upper corners must transmit compression and some lateral shear forces from container to container. `While many such means may be employed, one such means is shown, for illustrative purposes only, in FIGURES 14-16. Operatively connected to the rear wall 20 of the forward body adjacent one upper corner thereof is a grooved member 92 which receives the tongue member 93 associated with the forward wall 18 ofthe rear body adjacent one upper corner thereof. At

the remaining upper corners of the near walls 18 and 20 are members 94 and 96 having downwardly opening slots g8 and 180. A vertical rod 1112 is mounted by suitable -brackets 104 upon one of the walls, the upper end of the rod 102 carrying a yoke 106 the legs of which are adapted to enter Vthe slots 9S and 100 as. shown in FIG- URE l5.

Secured to Ithe rod 192 beneath Aone of the brackets 1M adjacent its lower end is a collar 108 carrying a handle 110. Rotatably mounted on the rod beneath the handle is a collar 117. having a radially extending lug 114. Above the lower bracket 104- there is secured to the wall panel 2@ an angle member having a keeper portion 116 extending generally perpendicular to the wall panel. A kt-orsion spring 118 interconnects collars 10S and 112 To slots 9S and 100 Aas shown in FIGURE 15. During the upward vertical movement of the rod 102, the Ilug 114 bears against the free edge of the keeper portion 116. In the coupled position, the lug 114l clears the keeper portion 116 and the spring 118 urges the lug against the wall panel so that the lug engages the upper edge of said keeper portion 116 las shown in FIGURE 16. To uncouple, the lug 114 is rotated out of engagement with the upper edgeof the keeper portion 116 and the rod 120 is moved downwardly via the handle 110.

It should be understood that other means may be employed to lcouple the bodies horizontally including semiautomatic and automatic means operative in response to the movement of the bodies towards each other, end to end.

The system of converting single axle trailers to a tandem axle trailer is illustrated in FIGURES 1 5. With the forward body removably coupled to one bogie 38- and further supported at its forward end by the landing gear 2.8 'or other suitable support, the tractor 62. is coupled lthereto via the king pin carried by the trailer body. The landing gear is retracted or removed and the trailer is then backed up so that the rear end thereof is placed adjacentthe front end of the second trailer body which has already been removably coupled-to its bogie 38 and which has been supported onits landing gear as shownin FIG- URES l and ,2. The two bodies are then rigidly coupled ltogether horizontally and the landing gear on the second or rearmost is retracted or removed. The brakes on the bogie of the forward body are locked and those on the bogie of the rearmost body are released and then the bogie under the foremost body is released from its connection to the body. The tractor then pulls both bodies forward until the bogie of the foremost body is adjacent the rear bogie and is there locked in position.

To reverse the system and convert the multi-body tandem axle trailer to individual single axle trailers, the brakes are applied to the forward bogie of the rearmost body and said bogie is uncoupled from the body. The tractor is driven backwards until the forward bogie is underneath the rear of the forward trailer where said forward bogie is then coupled to the forward body. Thereafter when the bodies vare uncoupled, the rearmost body can be coupled to another tractor.

It is to be understood that the principles of the invention are also applicable to a structure in which a single bogie frame mounting a pair of axles, as shown at 120 in FIGURE 6, is removably coupled to the rearmost body. Inthis case the single bogie dual axle unit may be removed and replacedby a single axle bogie at the rearmost body and an additional single axleV bogie may be coupled to the forward body Vto lproduceindividual single Vaxle trailers. v'It should also be-understood that the term pair o when used to refer tothe bodies means two or more.

While a preferred embodiment of the invention has been shown and described, skilled artisans may make minor varaitions without departing from the spirit of the invention and the scope'of the appended claims.

We claim:

1. An over-the-rod semi-trailer comprised of -a pair of frameless van size cargo bodies each including ameans `to removably receive bogies, means separably and rigidly coupling said bodies together horizontally, said means transmitting tension, compression and shear forces 'from body to body in magnitudes sullicient to produce a unitary structure, and a pair of single axle bogies removably coupled adjacent each-other to the rearmost body whereby any one of said bogies` when Yuncoupled can be moved and removably coupled to the forward body so that after the bodies are uncoupled a Vpair of Yindividual single axle trailers are produced.

2. An over-the-road semi-trailer comprised of a pair of frameless van size cargo bodies, means separably and lrigidly coupling lsaid bodies together horizontally, `said means transmitting tension, compression and shear forces from body to body in magnitudes suicient to produce a unitary structure, a pair of single axle bogies removably coupled adjacent each other to the rearrnost body adjacent its rear end, and means carried by said bodies and engaging portions of said bogies whereby anyone of said bogies when uncoupled is guided in its sliding movement from body to body.

3. The combination of claim 2 wherein said guide means includes tracks running lengthwise of said bodies, said bogies being removably coupled to said tracks.

4. An over-the-road semi-trailer comprised of a pair of frameless van size cargo bodies, means separably and rigidly coupling said bodies end to end, said means transmitting tension, compression and shear forces from body Ito body in magnitudes suiicient to produce a unitary structure, open-ended guide tracks extending lengthwise of each body, the tracks of one body being in substantial longitudinal alignment with the tracks of the other body, a pair of single axle bogies, and means removably coupling the bogies adjacent each other to the tracks of the rearmost body adjacent its rear end, said bogies having portions engaging said tracks whereby one of said bogies may be uncoupled, slid from the rearmost body to the forward body and there removably coupled to the tracks of said forward body adjacent its rear end so that after the bodies are uncoupled a pair of individual single axle trailers are produced.

5. An over-the-road Semidrailer comprised of a pair of frameless van size cargo bodies, means separably and rigidly coupling said bodies together horizontally to produce a unitary structure, a pair of single axle bogies re movably coupled adjacent each other to the rearmost body, and means carried by said bodies and engaging portions of said bogies whereby any one of said bogies when uncoupled is guided in its sliding movement from body to body, said bodies including king pins pivoted thereto to retract to positions where they do not obstruct the sliding movement of any one of the bogies from body to body.

6. An over-the-road semi-trailer comprised of a pair of frameless van size cargo bodies, means separably and rigidly coupling said bodies together horizontally to produce a unitary structure, a pair of single axel bogies removably coupled adjacent each other to the rearmost body, and means carried by said bodies `and engaging portions of said bogies whereby any one of said bogies when uncoupled is guided in its sliding movement from body to body, said bodies including landing gears pivoted thereto to retract to positions where they do not obstruct the Sliding movement of any one of the bogies from body to body.

7. An over-the-road semi-trailer comprised of a pair of cargo bodies, means separably and rigidly coupling said bodies together horizontally to produce a unitary structure, a pair of single axle bogies removably coupled adjacent each other to the rearmost body, and means carried by said bodies and engaging portions of said bogies whereby any one of said bogies when uncoupled is guided in its sliding movement from body to body, said bodies including king pins so connected thereto as to be movable to positions where they do not obstruct the sliding movement of any one of said bogies from body to body.

8. An over-the-road semi-trailer comprised of a pair of cargo bodies, means separably and rigidly coupling said bodies together horizontally to produce a unitary stmlcture, a pair of single axle bogies removably coupled adjacent each other to the rearmost body, and means carried by said bodies and engaging portions of said bogies whereby any one of said bogies when uncoupled is guided in its sliding movement from body to body, said bodies including landing gears so connected thereto as to be movable to positions Where they do not obstruct the sliding movement of any one of said bogies from body to body.

References Cited in the iile of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS 2,010,969 Soulis Aug. 13, 1935 2,333,853 Fellabaum Nov. 9, 1943 2,369,384 Zubatsky Feb. 13, 1945 2,540,859 Birkin Feb. 6, 1951 2,564,311 Rimailho Aug. 14, 1951 2,731,276 Cross Jan. 17, 1956 2,831,735 Bennett et a1 Apr. 22, 1958 2,841,094 Schumacher July 1, 1958 2,867,450 Tenenbaum Jan. 6, 1959 2,899,237 Nash Aug. 11, 1959 2,976,051 Morey Mar. 21, 1961 

